Waking up in the middle of the night is one of the most annoying things
Dare we say it takes first place from fishing soggy tea bags out of the sink; one of life’s cruellest punishments.
So you’re laying awake in bed, wishing you could get back to sleep, fantasising about the last night night you got a full night’s rest.
Maybe you try to distract yourself, finding other things to do but according to an expert, there are a few tasks you should avoid if you want to get back to sleep.
Dr Biquan Luo, a San Francisco sleep expert, explained to The New York Post, that “disruption of the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle” can also lead to disturbed sleep.
The sleep specialist advises that the best thing to do if you wake up in the middle of the night is to simply stay put, don’t get up and finish that thing you started before you took to the bed.
Try to relax in your bed and see if you can nod off again. You can even try out some sleeping techniques and tricks including breathing exercises or whacking on some white noise in the background.
If this doesn’t work with the first 10-15 minutes it’s time to play the distraction game and get up out of that bed.
“Try going to a quiet and comfortable place at home, like the couch, and engage in a quiet, low-stimulation activity, such as reading a book or doing a calming activity, until you feel sleepy again – then return to bed,” she explains.
So now that you’re up what should you be doing? No checking the time or your phone.
Luo explains that checking the time is one of the most commonly made mistakes that will make it more difficult to fall back to sleep, explaining: “Checking the time can increase stress and make it harder to sleep.”
She added, “Additionally if you check the time on your phone, the contents of the phone may be too stimulating, which further prevents you from relaxing and falling asleep.”
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